1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to vase assemblies for use with a grave memorial or other support and, more specifically, to methods and apparatus for preventing tampering with or vandalizing such vase assemblies.
2. Description of Related Art
Grave stone marker stones and memorials, especially of the flat, cast bronze type, are frequently provided with bronze or copper vases for containing flowers or other items over the top surface of the memorial. Such vases are typically stored below the flat memorial in an upside down configuration via a hole formed in the flat memorial.
Due to the high value for bronze and copper materials, such vases are increasingly subject to being stolen and sold as scrap. Additionally, such vases are subject to vandalism and damage due to being completely removable from the grave memorial.
Current solutions to these trends include providing plastic vases with the memorial. However, plastic vases are easily damaged or broken and do not fully match the appearance of the bronze marker. Additionally, markers are being provided with only an opening for a vase but not an accompanying vase. The customer then must separately purchase a vase for use with the memorial. Such a solution does not ensure proper compatibility between the memorial and the vase, decreases overall sales in the grave memorial industry, and does not address the problem of theft should the customer decide to purchase a metal vase.